Javelina

At first glance some people mistake a javelina for a wild pig but it is really a peccary. The peccary is a relative of the pig, both are in the same suborder Suina, but the peccary is a member of the Tayassuidae family and pigs are in the Suidae family. Both javelina and pigs have snout shaped noses, small eyes, and walk on their middle two digits but javelina have a more complex stomach that is nonruminating and javelina have short straight tusks while pigs have longer tusks that curve. Javelina are found from the southwestern United states down through Mexico and Central America and through much of South America. They are omnivores and eat roots, seeds, fruit, cuctus, insects and small animals. Javelina are much more wild then their pig cousins. Although they are raised in some places as food they have not been able to be domesticated. They are often very aggressive and herds of them have been known to injure or kill people. We photographed this javelina at Bentsen State Park in south Texas.   

Javelina

When one catches their first glimpse of a javelina they usually think that it is some type of fury pig. Actually they are a peccary and a member of the Tayassuidae family. Both peccary and pigs are members of the same suborder of mammals, Suina, which is why they look similar and share some of the same characteristics. Javelina are native to the warmer parts of North, Central and South America. I photographed this javelina at Bentsen State Park when we were in Texas last year.

Pigs are an invasive species in the Americas. Pigs originally evolved from wild boars which were over time domesticated by man. Wild boars were found through out much of Europe and Asia so when settlers came to the Americas they brought domestic pics with them. The main physical difference between pigs and peccaries are the tusks. Peccaries have short tusks which are straight where pigs have long tusks that curve around in on themselves. This is a photo of a feral or wild pig. Pigs that get loose or are let go can live out in the wild where they often compete for found with peccaries and other endemic species. I photographed this feral pig at the Laguna Atascosa NWR in south Texas.

Bentson-Rio Grande Valley State Park

No birding trip to south Texas would be complete with out a visit to the Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. Bentsen is comprised of 760 acres of wetland, scrub brush, riparian and woodland habitat. It is surrounded by 1900 acres of protected native habitat, 1700 acres of which are Federal Refuge lands.

Bentsen is located on the Rio Grande River. Centuries worth of Rio Grande River flooding has made the soil more hospitable, making it possible for large tracks of floodplain forest to flourish in the park, especially near the river. Some of the border markers, that fix the official border between the US and Mexico, are no longer very close to the Rio Grande demonstrating how the path of the river has changed over time.

Bentsen is also the headquarters for the World Bird Center. The World Birding Center is an organization that promotes conservation and ecotourism, centered primarily around birds, in the Rio Grande Valley. The WBC had many blinds and feeders set up in Benson to attract birds like this golden-fronted woodpecker.

Due to large tracks of different types of habitat Bentsen is a magnet for many of the different south Texas and northern Mexican specialty birds such as the Altamira Oriole.

The Rio Grande Valley is one of the best spots in the United States to go birding. The reason is because of the variety of birds. Many birds either spend the winter in the area or pass through while they migrate south, or back north. Besides the spectacular variety that you see during migration the Rio Grande is also the northern edge of the range of many different tropical birds. These birds are usually very colorful like this great kiskadee.

Bentsen is not only about the birds though. Javelina's take advantage of seeds that spill from the many feeders in the park. Even though they may look like it Javelina are not pics. Javelina are peccaries. Peccaries are native to North, South and Central America and have several differences from pigs originated from Europe, Asia and Africa.
Around the visitors center the staff has planted many native flowering plants in order to help attract humming birds and butterflies. Small ponds and pools in the park provide excellent habitat for dragonfly larva, some of which emerge as colorful adults like this red saddlebags.

If you are very lucky you may get a peek at one of the secretive cats that live in and around the park. Bobcats, like this young one that was crossing the road with its mother, are the most common wild cat in North America. Their smaller size, stealthy movement and the fact that they are crepuscular, active mostly at dusk and dawn, help keep them hidden from most people. This is the first wild cat that I have ever seen or photographed, a lifer. Michelle was not there to see them but she got her chance to see her first wild cat later in the trip.